Legal support for Wills & Probate

Our services include free advice, helping you to deal with important matters such as the Will and organising your loved one’s affairs.

Legal Support for Wills & Probate

Co-op Funeralcare customers are supported by Co-op Legal Services which helps individuals and families deal with legal matters after a loved one has died.

For free initial advice and guidance call Co-op Legal Services on 0330 041 7713 or request a call for assistance.

Pay Funeral Costs from the Estate

Co-op Legal Services can pay all the costs of a Co-op Funeralcare funeral, when you choose to instruct Co-op Legal Services to deal with Probate and the administration of the deceased persons’ Estate; providing that the Estate has sufficient assets which can be sold to repay our costs in due course.

There are no upfront costs to pay. There will be no nasty surprises.

A free, in-home visit is available in England or Wales with one of the Co-op’s Probate Consultants who can answer your questions, discuss what needs to be done, and provide you with a Fixed Fee Probate quotation in writing.

When Co-op Legal Services has provided you with a written quote for the agreed work to be done, that price will not change, unless the original information provided is shown to be incorrect or circumstances change. For more information see Probate Complete Service.

Read the Will

Before you finalise funeral arrangements we recommend that you search for a copy of the deceased’s Will to find out if the deceased had specified any particular wishes. If you don’t know where the Will is, or whether one was made, Co-op Legal Services can help you.

Executors and Administrators of the Estate

If you are an Executor appointed in the deceased’s Will, or a family member who wants the responsibility where a Will wasn’t written, it pays to know what is expected of you.Before you can transfer, sell or distribute any of the deceased's assets, you may need to apply for Probate but this isn’t the full picture. The Court application for Probate is only one step to take and there are many other legal, financial and tax considerations that are your responsibility to handle. Here are just a few:

· Interpreting the Will correctly (if there is a Will)· Understanding the Intestacy Rules (if there’s no Will)· Attending an interview at the Probate Registry and swearing an Oath· Collecting and valuing all the Estate assets (i.e. everything the deceased owns)· Calculating all taxes due and filing all necessary tax forms with HM Revenue & Customs· Liquidating (selling) all the Estate assets· Paying off any tax, debts and liabilities from money held by the Estate· Creating detailed accounts of all Estate assets and liabilities· Distributing the residue of the Estate to the beneficiaries.

Co-op Legal Services can take all the responsibilities off your shoulders and carry out all the work necessary to complete matters as quickly and effectively as possible.

Our legal team offer fixed fees with no upfront costs to pay and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. With 20 specialist Probate Solicitors and over 150 Probate specialists who only deal with Probate, Co-op Legal Services are one of the largest providers of Probate and Estate Administration services across England and Wales.

As part of the Co-op Group our values of openness, honesty, social responsibility and caring for others are core to the service we provide.

For free initial advice and guidance call Co-op Legal Services on 0330 041 7713 or request a call for assistance.

For more information about Wills and Probate watch our short animated video below.

Here to help

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to give us a call, we are here to help and support you.

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The Funeral Plan contract is made between you and Funeral Services Limited (30808), a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 whose registered office is at 1 Angel Square, Manchester, M60 0AG. VAT registered 403 3146 04. The Co-operative Funeralcare is a trading name of Funeral Services Limited. Part of The Co-operative Group.